Sonore strings

[Anselm Hauke]

Originally Posted by Joel Larsson

...I have yet to play one that carries the power of a rope/steel/whatever all the way up above the FB.

have you tried oliv?

[Joel Larsson]

Yes, I had Oliv G and D and Eudoxa A and E for a while. Lovely orchestral strings, but I had to get other G and D's. The Olivs got all hoarse even before thumb position, and also had a tendency to stretch out when I played Koussevitzky, for instance. That is, they droppped in pitch, as much as a half note. But it was no idea to tune them on the run; if I'd let them be for a couple of minute they'd get back in tune. If I had made an attempt at tuning them up as the pitch went down, I'd end up one half note too high. VERY uncomfortable.
They could probably work for a classical concerto, for instance, but I soon got myself a couple of steel strings instead. I might get back to them the day I don't have to study any more.

[Andreas Henningsson]

Joel,
have you ever considered a full set of Eudoxas? But they really cost a fortune... And maybe they would behave similar to the Oliv?

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Andreas Henningsson

Joel,
have you ever considered a full set of Eudoxas? But they really cost a fortune... And maybe they would behave similar to the Oliv?

I'm sorry but are these for Bowing or Pizz? Your usage I mean..

Both the Oliv's and Eudoxa's are Gut Core wrapped with flat metal. Silver or chrome steel doesn't matter. The fact remains that Gut stretched and metal does not. Also, the metal is wrapped around the string at an angle so when pulled over a bridge or nut, the windings can be pulled apart. This happens with all strings that I have seen but with Gut in the core, it is just a matter of time, sooner rather than later.

I have used a full set of Olivs as well as Oliv G/D withe Eudoxa A/E. They were shorter lived than any other string I can recall. The sound was fantastic and a dream to bow. The full set of Olivs on the bottom were not so easy to get a sound out of. I had them on my Martini which is a fairly dark sounding bass so not the best match there.

The Olivs are thicker in the Core than the Eudoxas and get to sounding a little choked in the upper positions. I do not recall ever playing the Eudoxa G or D. Maybe I should, you think? With an Extension E/C? Maybe my big old mystery bass will feel at home with them..

For me, in place of Guts or Gut wound string, I prefer the Evah's for durability and gut-like qualities, the good qualities of the Guts. They feel great under the fingers and pump out a nice sound with the Bow. The Belcantos are another good choice with slightly metallic sounding and less colorful. They do however bow fantastic and are quite loud and direct sounding.

[Andreas Henningsson]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

I'm sorry but are these for Bowing or Pizz? Your usage I mean..

The Olivs are thicker in the Core than the Eudoxas and get to sounding a little choked in the upper positions. I do not recall ever playing the Eudoxa G or D. Maybe I should, you think? With an Extension E/C? Maybe my big old mystery bass will feel at home with them..

I'm talking arco here.

That's what I meant; the thinner core of the Eudoxa might have an advance in higher positions.

[Joel Larsson]

Yes, well, if somebody threw me an Eudoxa G I would be happy to try it. But I wouldn't buy them under the impression that they'd make great strings for solo arco playing. Someday I hope I'll be in a position where it's reasonable to focus on my orchestral sound, and where money is no issue any more, but for now, I'll stick to the cheaper stuff that actually sounds better for classical solo playing. I have a Bel Canto set that got stuck in the Norwegian customs... thought they'd be good for both solo and orchestra. But apparently I need a Norwegian ID number or something. This sucks.

Got to say, by the way, that the Eudoxas really do stay in tune, in case somebody ever doubted it. I get impressed from time to time, when my Orig Flats have dropped half a note but my A and E stay in tune just fine.

[Calvin Marks]

Originally Posted by Andreas Henningsson

I'm talking arco here.

That's what I meant; the thinner core of the Eudoxa might have an advance in higher positions.

I have an old set of Eudoxa's on my second instrument. They're wonderful strings that bow extremely well. The sound starts to get choked once you reach the 2nd octave D on the G string...So no, you most certainly cannot solo on these strings...They're purely orchestral or jazz strings, and they're marvelous.